Wagga City Councillor Tim Koschel has done many things over the years for the community. Photo: Shri Gayathirie Rajen.
We all have opinions about our local council and what it has or hasn’t got right, but how well do you know the men and women elected to represent their community in local government? In this series, Region Riverina speaks with Wagga Wagga City Councillors to find out what makes them tick.
Who is Tim Koschel?
I was born in Wagga and grew up in Ashmont. I attended Holy Trinity Primary, St Michael’s and Trinity High School. I met my wife Jade through work and have been married for 15 years and have two beautiful daughters, Tahlia, 18, and Isabella, 14. I currently work for Bendigo Bank as a regional manager looking after ACT and South Coast, based in Wagga. I supported local businesses for many years while working with Coca-Cola for 14 years. During my childhood, I competed in ballroom both nationally and internationally. This led to me teaching many local students for years and owning my own dance studio, Foxtrot Dance Studio. I also had many ties with local community/charity groups.
How have the past 12 months been on the council?
The past 12 months have been interesting, with a group of new councillors learning to work together. We only had four returning councillors. We haven’t always agreed with each other on all decisions and there have been many split decisions. I don’t believe we have had any real testing issues come to the new group yet, which I had seen in the previous term in council.
What’s been your biggest achievement so far?
I have done many things over the years for the community, but any achievement is achieved by the council as a whole, not by an individual councillor. I would say my biggest achievement is the relationships and trust I have built with the local community. I love working one-on-one with local residents and groups to work towards an outcome.
What are your priorities for 2023?
My priorities with the council in 2023 are to work on budgets and look for efficiencies to save money and look at ways we can improve services. This is why I put forward the Zero-based budget report this year. We need to work with both state and federal governments to fix our road maintenance backlog and ensure we have the correct funding so we complete road maintenance as needed. We also need to keep the focus on the lake pipeline and look for funding sources.
Is there anything different you’d like to see on the council?
Since I first started in 2016, I have been talking and pushing about how we engage with the community. I want to see improvement in how we engage with the community so we can encourage them to have their say.
What’s your vision for Wagga?
Simple – to make the Wagga Local Government area the best place to live, work and raise a family.
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